Vitamin C preserves endothelial function in patients with coronary heart disease after a high‐fat meal

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Abstract
Background: It has been suggested that an oxidative mechanism is involved with the impaired endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation that occurs after a high‐fat meal.Hypothesis: The study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a single oral dose of vitamin C (2 g) on postprandially impaired endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).Methods: This study included 74 patients with CHD and 50 subjects without CHD with risk factors. The two groups were divided into two subgroups that did or did not receive 2 g of vitamin C (CHD/VitC and CHD/control, n = 37; non‐CHD/VitC and non‐CHD/control, n = 25) after a high‐fat meal (800 calories, 50 g fat). Serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in the fasting state and at 2, 4, 5, and 7 h after the high‐fat meal were measured. Endothelial function was assessed in the brachial artery by high‐resolution ultrasound at baseline and at 4 h postprandially.Results: The postprandial serum triglyceride concentration increased significantly at 2‐5 h after the high‐fat meal in all groups. The fasting flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) (p < 0.02) and nitroglycerin‐induced dilatation (NID) (p < 0.05) of patients with CHD were impaired compared with those of non‐CHD subjects. Postprandial FMD was significantly aggravated in the non‐CHD/control group (pConclusions: The postprandial state after a high‐fat meal is critical in atherogenesis, as it induces endothelial dysfunction through an oxidative stress mechanism. Vitamin C treatment has a promising benefit for patients with CHD.